


Love is on the next page

by hazelandglasz



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, Jock Derek, M/M, Nerd Derek Hale, Nerd Stiles, Nerdiness, book lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2014-03-08
Packaged: 2018-01-15 01:12:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1285675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelandglasz/pseuds/hazelandglasz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles thought getting a job in his school library would be perfect – he’s constantly surrounded by books and he’s allowed to study while he mans the front desk. That is unless he’s helping a student find a book or restocking shelves – two things that become annoyingly common when starting quarterback Derek Hale starts frequenting his shifts. The guy is obviously mocking him because there’s no way he’s actually as into literature as he acts.</p><p>Derek secretly loves books and not-so-secretly likes Stiles, the nerdy-but-cute guy who works at the library. His idea of flirting might be creepy unorthodox and it takes a more than a little while to convince Stiles he’s being sincere – and even longer to convince his best friend Scott. </p><p>If what happens after is a little cliché, well, it isn’t like the books have any room to judge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love is on the next page

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a beautiful picture set  
> http://constileslations.tumblr.com/post/78312965831/love-is-on-the-next-page-sterek-college-au

From a young age, Stiles  develops a relationship with books.

Even before knowing how to read, the only way to get him to be quiet - and stay where he is left - is to put a book in his chubby little hands.

It doesn’t surprise any of his parents to see that he figures books out on his own, knowing how to read before any of his classmates.

Books, in Stiles’ mind, are magical : worlds come to life in his mind, characters keep him company in the dead of night, and he learns things, too!

Two weeks after his 8th birthday, Stiles wishes that he could drown in his books, leave his reality behind and let them shield him from his pain.

After a while, books take another value, Stiles’ thirst for knowledge seemingly unquenchable. That he is his Senior year’s Valedictorian is a surprise only to his father, the Sheriff always assuming that Stiles lied to him when he said that he was working with Scott.

Colorado University is a natural choice for Stiles, who has decided to major in Commemorative Architecture. Since they don’t want to put too much on their parents’ shoulders, Stiles and Scott both look out for a job on campus.

Scott scores a job as assistant gardener - the fact that he’s is a Biology major with a green thumb helps, too - and Stiles …

Stiles gets his dream job, working at the library 3 days and 4 nights a week.

Not only does he get to study in relative peace, but he does so surrounded by his best friends (after Scott, of course).

Until one particularly eager student comes and disrupts his routine.

—-

Derek has always loved books.

Books are cheap and comfortable, books don’t make fun of you because of your bunny teeth and temporary need for glasses, books make it easier to settle in your own skin because you can see that you’re not alone in this.

Particularly since Derek is the only boy in his family, and let him tell you this, being the only boy in a family of four children is not easy.

But just to make it easier on himself, he keeps his “friends” in hiding - Laura and Cora and Tyra have enough ammunition against him as it is, he doesn’t need to give them the “nerd” card.

To anyone who doesn’t pay attention - as in, pretty much everybody in his High school - Derek is the epitome of the jock.

But when people start paying attention - like Coach Finstock or like the University of Colorado recruiter - they can see that Derek has a nearly perfect GPA and an intense drive to get what he wants. As it is, Derek wants to study business and history of literature - no one needs to know that his goal is to be a library curator.

Entering the University with a football scholarship is only the cherry on top of the cake he can smash in Laura’s face.

His Freshman year is pretty forgettable, in his opinion : the classes are challenging but not overwhelming, he doesn’t even have a roommate to complain about, and the only pain in his ass is the girl who is in charge of the library because she doesn’t bother to help him and his fellow classmates to find the books they need.

But as he starts his Sophomore year, Derek’s confident that it’s going to be better. Better games, better plays, better classes, and better librarian.

He didn’t expect to fall in love.

—-

Derek Hale is the bane of Stiles’ existence.

The quarterback is constantly around, like he has no better places to be than Stiles’ library - yes, it’s _his_ domain, _his_ kingdom, and screw anyone who wants to piss him off, because _he_ 's the commander of the building and its content.

Snapping his suspenders back into place - they keep on sliding off his shoulder whenever he reaches for the higher shelves - Stiles looks at the books he’s taking from the shelves for his paper.

Ah, 1930s architecture in Europe aisle, Stiles loves you so very much.

"Excuse me?"

God fucking dammit all to Hell and below.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

"I"m looking for Jean-Louis Cohen’s book about Russian architecture?"

The book is in his hands, but suddenly, Stiles’ focus is not on the books anymore.

"Why do you need it?" he asks before biting his lips, ashamed of his own rudeness. "Sorry, I just -", he starts apologizing, but Hale is smiling at him gently, stupidly gorgeous in his varsity jacket.

"There is a whole chapter about the beginnings of libraries," he replies, "and Cohen is an expert on the subject of 1930s architecture."

"I know!" Stiles exclaims, slapping his hand over his mouth when one lonely student looks up in surprise. "I know," Stiles repeats, his blush darkening and Hale’s smile widening to the point where dimples appear on his stupid gorgeous face. "Cohen’s appreciation of Architecture in Europe between the two wars is enlightening," he adds, and the jock is tilting his head to the side, and is that fondness in his eyes?

Nah, he’s probably thinking that Stiles’ passion is quirky and ridiculous.

Stiles straightens up and pushes his glasses back on. “In any case, here is the book, bring it back in three days. Good day.”

As he walks away, Stiles doesn’t see the frown on the jock’s face and the way he bites his lips as his eyes dart downward after him.

—-

Derek doesn’t know what to do.

He doesn’t know how to flirt, he doesn’t know how to woo.

Especially since the Librarian - who deserves a capital L in Derek’s mind - seems to think Derek is a waste of his time and of his precious books.

Oh, Derek knows all about the young man’s bibliophilia. It takes one to know one, and there is no way to mistake the careful handling of the books, the way Stilinkski’s long fingers caress the spine of the oldest ones - making Derek jealous and hot all over - with a quiet smile on his face, the expression quickly disappearing whenever Derek has to catch Stilinski’s attention.

He wishes he knew his first name, but the only name he has heard someone using to call the Librarian is Stiles, and it must be a nickname based on his last name - no parent would be so cruel as to call a kid Stiles Stilinski, would they ?

Derek may not know how to seduce, he knows how to pay attention.

Call it stalking, call it being creepy, he doesn’t even care : what he cares about is to learn about Stiles’ subjects of interest to get to know him and make him see what a great guy Derek is.

Because he may have his moments of doubts, he may have his moments of depreciation, but Derek Hale knows that he’s a great guy and a great kisser.

If only Stiles could see that.

But for the moment, Derek is experiencing a whiplash of the worst kind : one moment, Stiles’ brown eyes were sparkling with passion and interest, making Derek want to make him talk about architecture in Europe between the two World wars forever and then some, and the next they look like the bottom of Derek’s cup of coffee by the end of an all-nighter during finals - cold and making him want to curl in a ball on his bed.

What did he do wrong?

—-

Stiles doesn’t know what he did wrong in a past life, but he must have been a pretty dickish asshole to deserve such an unsubtle stalker as the quarterback.

He is _everywhere._

At the library for all of Stiles’ shifts - and it can’t be a coincidence -, at the coffee shop where Stiles gets his breakfast every other morning, around his bench when Stiles gets to eat his lunch seated like a human being.

Everywhere.

And it’s not like he’s doing anything to really piss Stiles off : the guy is polite, and obviously not as much as a brainless pack of meat as Stiles first assumed - and what a pack of meat, ay papi - and he always has too much of his cookies and makes sure to share with Stiles - those are prize-worthy cookies and Stiles has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from moaning out loud when Derek is still around (even though one escaped him and Derek suddenly had to leave).

If Stiles was a delusional manic pixie girl, he would assume that Derek is trying to seduce him but that’s preposterous, because, seriously, the jock/nerd trope is not that funny in real life, and Stiles doesn’t need to have a man to feel worth something.

But still.

Alone in his bed, his bowtie untied around his neck and his glasses on his bedside table, Stiles lets himself picture it.

It could be nice. If only Derek Hale could be a little bit clearer in his intentions …

—-

That’s it.

Derek has enough of his pining after the Librarian.

He’s going to be a man, gather his courage - borrowing some of Harry and Annabeth and Jonas’ courage - and tell it straight.

(Ha.)

Tell him that he wants to date him. Tell Stiles that he wants to take him on dates to make him discover all the old movies he may not know about (or maybe he does and then they can do a voice-over of the dialogues in the comfort of one of their cars, cuddling - ok stopping right there), that he wants Stiles to invite him to diner wherever he wants - no seriously the hot-dog stand will do -, that he wants …

Oh Gods, Derek wants so much.

He wants to pull Stiles by his suspenders to kiss him in an deserted aisle of the library.

"Good evening."

Derek looks up from his feet and realizes that he’s at the library.

And Stiles is not alone : his best friend, the guy who talks to the flowers, is here and looking at Derek with what can only be described as a suspicious smirk.

"Stiles will be right back," he says, taking a step toward Derek, "but I have something to tell you before he’s back". He’s shorter than him (and than Stiles, now that Derek thinks about it), but in that moment, Derek has never felt so small.

"I can see what Stiles doesn’t," Scott says softly, "and I can see that you’re going to make it more obvious to him tonight."

Derek gulps and nods slowly.

"Good." Scott comments before tightening his jaw. "But if this is a joke to you, or you hurt him in the process," he starts, and Derek can’t look away, "you’ll be sorry. I don’t care that you’re a jock, you will be- hey!" he cuts himself short, waving at something behind Derek, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the identity of that person.

"Hey," Stiles replies, his mouth turned into a fond smirk, before his eyes find Derek’s.

Something switches in Derek’s brain at the sight of Stiles in a plaid shirt tucked into a pair of jeans that should be forbidden and a denim bow tie, and he finds himself smiling like an idiot.

"Hey," he says, in a great moment of eloquence, before shaking his head to get his brain back into gear. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course," Stiles replies, the hint of a smile on his lips, "did you finish Cohen’s book?"

He has, as a matter of fact, and it was grand. “Yes - thank you so much for letting me borrow it.”

"It is a library, after all", Stiles replies, voice shaking with repressed laughter, but Derek senses that he would give everything to keep all the books to himself.

"I wanted to - I would like to," Derek starts, feeling foolish as he blushes from his ears to his nose, "I wanted to askyouifyouwantedtogetcoffeesometime."

Stiles opens wide eyes and his lips move without a sound for a while before his whole face hardens.

"Is it a joke?"

"Pardon?" Derek replies, shocked by the harshness in Stiles’ voice.

"Are you trying to join a fraternity?" Stiles asks, hands on his waist. "Is that it? You’re trying to join a Greek, and you have to prank a Freshman and you picked the nerdy librarian who gets excited over leather bindings and Doric columns?"

"What - no!" Derek exclaims, lifting his hands up in an innocent gesture, "why would you think that?"

"It’s the only explanation that makes sense!" Stiles whisper-shouts, "why would you ask me other- oh," he says, stopping when Derek takes a step toward him with a shy smile on his face. "I’m an idiot, aren’t I," he whispers, looking down, and Derek is momentarily out of order because of the way Stiles’ eyelashes fan over the apple of his cheeks.

"No, you’re not," he replies instead of waxing sonnets about them, "you’re just … defensive?"

Stiles looks up and wow, they’re really close. “Just a little,” he says, and his eyes dart from Derek’s to his mouth and Derek can’t fight himself anymore, taking another step, sliding one foot between Stiles’ and tilting his head to softly, chastely even, kiss Stiles as he has dreamed of doing since he has met him.

"About that coffee," Stiles stutters when he pulls away and Derek presses their forehead together, huffing a laugh.

—-

Stiles never expected his first relationship to be with a quarterback, but then again, his quarterback is one of a kind.

Derek is a fine amateur of books, in all shapes and forms, and they spend countless hours discussing the advantage of paperbacks over eBooks and vice versa, their debate turning into make-out sessions to Stiles’ delight.

Derek claims that he has no self-control whenever Stiles starts getting passionate and flaily, and Stiles has no intention of teaching him self control when himself has some troubles getting his hands off of Derek’s back.

Don’t get him wrong, he loves the older man’s face and torso, but his back - his back belongs in a museum curated by Stiles, and Stiles alone.

The other things surprising and awesome about dating Derek Hale is that he doesn’t seem to want to stick to stereotypes : more often than not, Stiles is the one picking him up at his dorms, bringing him flowers and paying for dinner, and the blush that starts on Derek’s ears and spreads over his face to gather on the tip of his nose is just …

Adorable.

Of course, when later on, Derek seemingly devours Stiles, leaving a trail of hickeys in his path - his suspenders are going to hurt so much but Stiles can’t bring himself to care - “adorable” is the last word on Stiles’ mind.

As it is, there is no word left in his mind, except “oh my god” and “oooooh my god”.

The first time Stiles gets over his fear of being ridiculous and pushes Derek’s shirt off and unbuttons his pants, words once again fail him, but Derek - Derek doesn’t, guiding him and patiently letting him get intimately acquainted with his most intimate parts.

If the thick ropes of come that get caught in his glasses are any indication, Stiles manages to avoid ridicule.

—-

"Come see my game," Derek says as he nuzzles Stiles’ belly, Stiles’ bowtie around his neck like a victor’s prize.

Stiles is still a little stupid from his orgasm, but his fingers tighten in Derek’s hair.

The afternoon is slowly turning into night, and they’re lying in Derek’s bed, surrounded by the soft setting sunlight that filters through the curtains.

"Is it the finale already?" he asks, voice unintentionally lower than usual.

Derek nods, pressing a soft kiss on his belly button. “It would mean a lot to me, my - my family is coming,”

"And you want me to meet them?" Stiles asks. As Derek nods once more, pressing his stubbled chin in the soft skin of Stiles’ lower belly, Stiles ponders it.

They’ve been dating for four months, by any standards this is _fast_. But he can’t bring himself to worry about it being too much, too soon.

It fits them. It fits Derek’s passionate nature, it fits him and his need for order.

It fits.

"Alright," he says, acting like he’s doing a big sacrifice, "but only because it’s you, you big bully," he exclaims as Derek uncoils from the bottom of the bed to cover Stiles’ with his heavier body.

He would complain a little bit more, but his mouth is suddenly very busy.

—-

Stiles hates football. He has never seen the appeal, the so-called technique behind it - this is not an esthetically pleasing sport, by any means.

But to sit in the stands, with Scott by his side and Derek’s older sister by the other, with Derek’s varsity jacket over his shoulders - yes, that’s pleasant, Stiles can admit that.

"What kind of name is Stiles, anyway?" Laura asks with the same smirk on her face than her brother, and Stiles smirks back.

"A name to avoid getting the real one getting butchered," he replies and Laura nods.

"Fair enough - want a sip?" she offers, her can of Dr. Pepper in her hands.

"Don’t mind if I do," Stiles says with a grateful nod, just as a big clamor fills the stadium and the footballers enter the field.

Holy Mother of God on a chariot of cronuts, does Derek look good in his footballer suit or what.

"Stiles, you’re drooling Dr. Pepper all over your shoes," Laura says with a laugh and Stiles closes his mouth with a snap.

Look at those thighs - seriously, Stiles is intimate with those thighs but they look even better than when they’re framing his face !

"Ok, enough details about my brother’s sex life," Laura interrupts his train of thoughts - or, apparently, his monologue - and Stiles returns his eyes on the field as the game starts.

Football is not an esthetically pleasant sport, he stands by his initial opinion.

But Derek in motion is a thing of beauty - with or without the boyfriend’s bias.

Boyd claps Derek on the shoulder as they come back from the other team’s side of the field, and Erica shouts from behind him.

Stiles sits back, burying his nose in the jacket’s collar and inhaling Derek’s scent.

He never expected to fall in love during his Freshman year - Hell, he never expected to have more friends than Scott and his books - and yet, here he is.

Living a love story better than any he has read, and that’s saying something.

A sentence his mother used to tell him comes to mind, and he smiles privately in the privacy the jacket provides.

“ _Books are good, baby, but don’t you see? Life is a gigantic, 3D book. Who knows what the next chapter has to offer : adventure, drama, love? All of those can be on the next page.”_


End file.
